Never Coming Back
by swimming-toon-lover
Summary: Misty and May talk to Dawn about her joining the rank of "ex-travel partner". But Misty is taking it a lot harder than the other two, and May and Dawn are about to figure out why. AAML


**Preface: Ash had gone back to Pallet town after the Sinnoh league, and has just left on another journey after Dawn told him she wanted to stay in Kanto. **

"Maybe he'll come back." Dawn looked hopefully toward the horizon, watching the shadowy figure shrink into the sunset. May stood next to her, also looking, but not with the same hope.

"Sure he will Dawn." She said. There was a snort from behind them and the two girls turned to look at Misty, who had her arms crossed and her back facing them.

"What is it Misty?" Dawn asked.

"Oh, nothing, I just find it hilarious that you actually think he's coming back." She flashed her turquoise stare at them.

"Well of course he is, he said-" Misty cut Dawn off.

"May, how many times has Ash ever visited you?" May looked off into the woods.

"None."

"Yeah, same here." Misty scoffed. "Ash doesn't visit people Dawn." She added simply. "Either they go find him, or they never see him again." Dawn glanced over her shoulder to where Ash had just disappeared.

"Well I guess there are still phones and he can-"

"When is the last time you saw him make a call to anyone who wasn't his mom or Professor Oak?" He's never called his friends."

"He called May about the Wallace cup." Dawn defended.

"She called him first didn't she?" Misty's eyes flashed dangerously again. "I'm telling you this to save you what May and I have gone through. He is not going to find you. You'll spend hours just waiting, then days, then years. Maybe you'll see him, but it will be by coincidence." Tears were now sparkling in Dawn's blue eyes.

"But the worst part, and please don't take this the wrong way, either of you, but the worst part is watching him pick up some other girl that is just a younger, more girlie version of yourself and felling like you're just a replaceable piece of his life. You feel like you didn't mean anything to him. You're just another bike that he fried." Misty stared at the sun, refusing to see Dawn's tears or May's wide eyed stare.

"No." May said softly.

"What?" Misty snapped.

"No. I mean, yes, at first I felt a little replaced, but Misty, I just went off my own way, and you went back to your gym. We all left him, not the other way around." May gasped sharply.

"Misty! Misty it was because you had no one else!" Misty glared at her.

"Excuse me?"

"Ash and Brock were your only friends and you were forced to leave. It was easier for me because I chose to leave, and I had Solidad, and Harley, and…" May trailed off thoughtfully before adding, "Drew." Almost like it was an explanation.

"Misty you like Ash, don't you?" Misty suddenly became very interested in the dirt. Dawn stared back and forth between her predecessors.

"I, I don't, uh."

"Misty, you do. That's why all that stuff mattered so much to you!" May clapped her hands together and glanced sideways at Dawn who nodded.

"Misty, I need to tell you something." She said slowly.

"And that would be?" Misty said harshly.

"Look, about a year ago I was talking to Ash about Drew. He was driving me crazy and I was just trying to get a handle on it. Ash gave me some great advice. He said that you know you're great friends when you can fight and then can't leave without making up, and that when two people fight it means they care about each other." Misty's gaze shifted around as she recalled a certain Nurse Joy who had given Ash that advice.

"And then he told me that once a long time ago someone told him 'you always hurt the one you love.'"

Misty stared at her.

"Danny." She breathed involuntarily.

"Oh, so that _was_ you." May smiled. "Misty he talks about you all the time and he seems just as happy as when he's talking about battling." Dawn added.

"What are you two trying to say?" Misty asked, looking at them suspiciously.

"He likes you." The two younger girls said together.

"Well he better, he's still my best friend." Misty said, choosing to ignore their true meaning.

"No Misty, he likes you the way you like him." May said. Misty stared.

"How do you know?"

"He told me." Both May and Dawn said, and then looked at each other in surprise.

"Wait, he actually told you?" May asked Dawn. She nodded.

"Wow Misty! This is…Misty?" Dawn and May looked around the clearing.

"Where did she go?" May asked. Dawn clutched May's arm and pointed toward where they had watched Ash disappear. There was a small figure, just barely visible, running away from them.

"Good, it's about time." May smirked.

**So, I just felt like posting some one shots I wrote a while back. I don't have a lot of them, but I sorta like one shots. They're short and sweet and to the point. Any way…I'll try and finish my other stuff someday. **

**STL**


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